Golgo 13: Anime Review

Golgo 13 is an anime that took me by surprise. I only found out about this anime during the first half of 2015, and was I ever amazed. Where do I begin? This is one of those "badass" anime following a first rate professional assassin who takes on jobs handed to him by filthy rich bureaucrats, Cooperate spiteful CEOs, special intelligent agencies, prestigious and high profile celebrities. For the payment of 3 million minimum Golgo 13 also known by the alias "Duke Togo", he is willing to take any job no matter how perplexing or impossible it may seem. He up holds a code and that's once he takes a job there's no going back until the job is complete. Its worth mentioning Duke has an uncanny appetite for sex as you will see through the progression of the series.

This anime is not recommended for the kiddies as there are heavily saturated sex scenes, and I mean a lot of sex! I was surprised to be honest to see how much sex they incorporated and if I had to give a ratio it was like every other episode you'd be seeing nudity and sexual implications. The anime series goes up to 50 episodes in length. So strictly 18+, OK. Now that's cleared up lets get into the review.

Golgo 13 A.K.A Duke Togo is probably the most "bad ass" character I've ever seen fleshed out in anime. He beats any typical samurai warrior or ninja assassins. A heart made out of iron nails and a menacing stare to go along with it would best describe him. Definitely more darker and cryptic than Batman himself! He's been nicked named the "angel of death" or can be considered a dead man walking due to his lack of empathy and his ability to take life without hesitation and in a moment.

He is an elite killer and gunman, remarkable skills behind the scope of his preferred M16(modified). In all of the episodes I've watched I've never seen Duke lose his composure, but has remained clam and tranquil in the midst of any given situation, no matter how hostile it may seem. I find this trait about him the most terrifying. He is indeed a force to be reckoned with, no emotions, just a man on a mission to complete his assigned tasks and if you the employer break any of his rules, beware because you're life has been forfeited.

He is incredibly fit and has the physique of a titan, and this body of his works wonders with the ladies as it entices them to sleep with him. He has a strange idiosyncrasy to never allow anyone stand "behind" him, as this is the blind spot for all humans. He likes having people in his field of vision as one slip up could cost this veteran cold blooded killer his life, and he takes this very seriously. Hence, the slogan at the end of each episode "do not stand behind him if you value you're life".

There really is no concrete set environment for this series, but rather the series follows the assassin Duke Togo as he travels the world completing various types of job ranging from a plethora of employers. When accepting a job he requests the payment be made to his Swiss-bank account and gives his employer the range of date for the completion of his task. Each episode encapsulates a new adventure and keeps you intrigued at the unique story line and excitement it emanates.

For every single episode I've watch up to completion (50) it has never grown repetitive, mundane or monogamous. The series is exudes adventure, action and thrill. There have been close encounters where Duke Togo almost gets apprehended by law enforcement, but always manages to get away due to his quick and clever thinking. Which always results in destroying or hiding evidence that is necessary to incriminate him. Every episode is unique and has its own extravagant setting and story line, synonymous to the anime "Baccano". There was one episode that stuck out for me and that's when he was in America doing a job to assassinate a financial figure.

From approximately 500-600 meters away he takes aim and pulls the trigger leaving a bullet in between the eyes of his target. Hit him right on. Authorities come to the scene and do canvas of the area and find a bullet casing on the floor. Measurements from the entry point of penetration of the window and height of the building are used to deduce potential spots where the shot was fired from. Than you get to see the detective's intuition at work and his deductive reasoning, which actually leads him right to Duke Togo. After doing a thorough search of the hotel room Duke rented out, no weapon could be found. After all the mental tension and reasoning, the detective decides to release Duke on the basis of lack of evidence to incriminate him. The detective concludes if he attempted to bring Duke before courts the verdict would be "not guilty". A witness is what he would needs to put this cold blooded killer away once and for all.

The irony here is during the shooting, there was indeed a "witness". It was a stray black cat, as Duke leaves the hotel the black cat appears and Duke gives it a menacing stare and than walks away and the episode comes to an end. This episode stood out for me due to its intricate methodology of solving and capturing the culprit and the dramatic irony it involved. This is just a nugget of what is in store for any avid viewers who are willing to give this anime a chance. The whole series is filled with great story-line and nail biting action.

This anime is definitely a 7.5-8/ 10 in my opinion. It has adventure,action, story, suspense and lets not forget the sex! On a serious note there was a bit to much sex in the series and the most I have ever personally seen in a anime series. But other than that this anime is worth while to watch, you will not be disappointed. I usually stick to anime series 20-30 episodes in length, and yet this series stretched out to 50 episodes. It goes to show you how much I enjoyed watching this anime as I was willing to watch an entire 50 series anime.

This was the anime review of Golgo: 13 and I recommend it to anyone looking for a thriller and action series with the protagonist being a "bad ass". Above is a trailer of the movie, don't watch it as its not very good and does not do the anime series justice if you were to watch it first. I couldn't find any footage of the trailer for the series. I'd strongly suggest watch the anime series first and than the movie, the movie does not live up to the series. This is bye for now, until the next anime review!